Peach Tree Times

There were 21 deaths with influenza and pneumonia listed as the underlying cause reported in Georgia during the week ending August 14, a 30 percent decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending August 14, there were 2,106 deaths in the state. 18.3 percent of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16.8 percent were from cancer and 42.1 percent were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2 percent of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-08-14	Number of Deaths 2021-08-07
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	455	238
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	431	221
Heart disease	385	384
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	354	340
Cerebrovascular diseases	93	96
Alzheimer's disease	89	82
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	83	82
Diabetes mellitus	55	41
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	44	45
Influenza and pneumonia	21	30

Cause of Death	Number of Deaths 2021-08-14	Number of Deaths 2021-08-07
Alzheimer disease and dementia	173	157